High Groundwater Potential Zones Research Articles

Groundwater potential zone mapping using geographic information systems and multi-influencing factors: A case study of the Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Groundwater is a vital component of life; without its identification, it is impossible to live. Therefore, identifying groundwater potential zones (GWPZs) is critical. For this purpose, the study area of the Kohat District was selected to identify GWPZs using the multi-influencing factors (MIF) approach. The Kohat area has a semi-arid to sub-humid subtropical climate and is classified as a sub-tropical, triple-season, semi-arid, sub-mountainous area. The geology, land use, soil, rainfall, lineament density, and drainage density are important parameters of ground water potential identification. The GWPZs were classified into five types: very poor, poor, good, high, and very high. We determined that 37.72% of the study area had high GWPZs, which were predominately in or near the northwest region of the study area, whereas 4.62% of the study area, in the southeast region, had very poor GWPZs. The water table data from the study varied due to different parameters used to identify the GWPZs. Our MIF results revealed that a large area of the Kohat District has good water potential. Still, due to topographic elevation changes, the groundwater potential has been limited in hilly areas. Our final results were compared with water level field data collected from different sources across the Kohat District.

Delineation of groundwater potential zone for sustainable water resources management using remote sensing-GIS and analytic hierarchy approach in the state of Jharkhand, India

Groundwater abstraction in many parts of India is highly unregulated which has caused a gradual decrease in groundwater levels over the years. Normally surface water storage structures or recharge zones are developed without knowing if all the groundwater is getting recharged. The issue becomes serious in the plateau region where most of the rainfall goes as surface runoff. Here an effort was made to identify the groundwater potential recharge zones of the entire Jharkhand state using Remote Sensing, GIS, and Analytic Hierarchy Approach techniques. Thematic layers which could contribute to the successful recharge of groundwater were prepared. The whole region was classified into four prospective groundwater potential zones: extremely low, low, moderate, and high. The results showed that approximately 3.28 and 77.34% of the total area falls under the High and average groundwater potential zones and the rest are under Low and Very low. Most of the high potential area is located in eight districts due to the alluvial plain region or a few mountains in that region namely Godda, Sahibganj, Pakur, Dumka, Purbi, Singhbhum, Saraikela-kharsawan and part of the Ranchi. The discharge data of 28 existing bore wells were used to endorse the groundwater potential zones. The further validation was made with an Area Under Curve (AUC) of 83%. According to the validation, the applied method produces a fairly dependable outcome for the state of Jharkhand.

Evaluation of rock mass permeability along a borehole by integrating the techniques of geological features and logistic regression: a case study in Taiwan

When the budget for in situ hydraulic tests is constrained, cost-effective approaches for determining the variations in hydraulic conductivity along a borehole remain enticing for helping design and planning of groundwater-related engineering systems. This study proposes a practical method with probabilistic outputs for fulfilling engineering concerns. First, 474 sets of hydrogeological investigation and hydraulic test data of fractured rock masses in most of the watersheds of mountainous areas of Taiwan were collected. Then, seven geological indices [rock quality design (RQD), depth index (DI), gouge content design (GCD), lithology permeability index (LPI), fracture density (FD), fracture width (FW), and groundwater velocity (GV)] significantly correlated with rock mass permeability were identified. Third, using logistic regression analysis, the seven indices were used as explanatory variables, and the hydraulic conductivity was utilized as an outcome variable (its threshold value is 1 × 10−6 m/s) for developing prediction models of high groundwater potential zones along a borehole. All indices passed the collinearity test, indicating no collinearity between the indices. To make the prediction models proposed more flexible in practical applications, a total of 127 combinations based on the combination selection of seven explanatory variables were explored to develop various prediction models. Through the validation of the Hosmer–Lemeshow test, Omnibus test, and Wald test for all developed models, only 77 models were statistically significant. The 77 models were evaluated by three measures of Nagelkerke R2, SR (success rate), and AUC (area under the curve) to further understand the prediction performance of each model. The results show that the accuracy of the prediction model is positively correlated with the number of geological indices used. When all seven geological indices are used, Nagelkerke R2, SR, and AUC can reach the best values, which are 0.83, 91.6%, and 0.976, respectively. In conclusion, the prediction model developed by combining geological indices with logistic regression analysis can provide a more efficient way of understanding the hydrogeological conditions of a borehole site.

Groundwater potential zone demarcation in the Khadir Island of Kachchh, Western India

In the present work, remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS), field investigation, and mapping methods/techniques were incorporated to demarcate the groundwater potential zones in the Khadir Island of the Kachchh region. Preliminary work consists of reconnaissance surveys and the preparation of various thematic maps of the region. The lithology (Khadir formation of Mesozoic period), slope, soil, land use and land cover (LULC), lineament density (Faults, fractures and linear valleys), drainage density, and geomorphology thematic maps were prepared using Advanced Land Observation Satellite - Phased Array Type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS PALSAR) data with 12.5 m spatial resolution, Sentinel-2 data (bands 8, 4, and 3), and ICAR- National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning and Geological Survey of India (GSI) published maps. The Groundwater Potential Index (GWPI) was determined by integrating and computing the groundwater thematic maps. The groundwater potential map was further validated using the Cohen's Kappa statistic method. The GWPI determines a high groundwater potential zone in the study area, of which about 12.24% and 19.41% of the area are excellent and very good potential zones for groundwater extraction, respectively. The study shows that the Cohen's Kappa coefficient of 0.767, which falls under the “Good Strength of Agreement” validates the result and determines that the Western and Eastern parts of the study area have greater groundwater potential zones.

Identification of groundwater potential sites in the drought-prone area using geospatial techniques at Fafen-Jerer sub-basin, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Analyzing the groundwater potential zone is a fundamental first step in investigating groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid regions. This study examined the groundwater potential zone of the Fafen-Jerer sub-basin by applying geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS). The study used ten influencing factors, including geology, geomorphology, slope, soil, lineament density, drainage density, land use, land cover, topographic wetness index, topographic roughness index, and rainfall, to identify potential sites. Based on their effect on groundwater recharge, the sub-class of each influencing factor was identified and evaluated. The weights were determined using the multi-criteria decision-making method’s analytical hierarchy process technique. At the conclusion of the investigation, the region was divided into four potential zones: low, moderate, high, and extremely high. The study region comprises 84% moderate potential zones, 14% high groundwater potential zones, and 2% low and extremely high potential zones. area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the groundwater potential zone, and the findings show extremely good performance (AUC = 0.87). The study provides recommendations for stakeholders and water management professionals to develop a strategy for water resource management based on the conjunctive use of surface and groundwater.

Mapping the Groundwater Potential Zones in Kota Belud, Sabah and its surrounding areas by using the Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing Techniques

The increasing demand for groundwater sources is due to many reasons; increasing in population, increasing in agricultural area, pollution, industrialization and urbanization. The declining supply of clean water every year worsen this situation. This study aims to map the groundwater potential zones in Kota Belud, Sabah and its surrounding by using the Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing techniques. Five parameters were studied that influence groundwater potential in the study area. The parameters are derived from existing maps, remote sensing imagery, and associated databases. The parameters are; rainfall distribution, drainage density, lineament density, elevation and slope steepness. All of these parameters will be used to create a thematic map based on a given weighting value. Finally, all the thematic maps will be integrated to produce the final groundwater potential map of the study area. The groundwater potential map is classified into five categories which are very low, low, moderate, high and very high. This study shows that three major factors that significantly affecting the occurrence of groundwater in study area are rainfall distribution, elevation, and slope steepness, and almost half of the study area was a high groundwater potential zone.

Using Geospatial Techniques and Analytic Hierarchy Process to Map Groundwater Potential Zones.

This study is conducted in Luvuvhu River Catchment (LRC) of South Africa, which has numerous major agricultural farms that are located in the upper catchment, especially in Levubu Valley. The significant irrigation developments in upper catchment have resulted in a decrease in the yield of surface water resources to such an extent that these resources struggle to meet domestic and industrial demand. The aim of this study is to delineate groundwater potential zones (GWPZ) as a way of establishing alternative water resources to relieve the overly stressed surface water resources. Various datasets are processed to extract groundwater controlling factors. Map layers of controlling factors are assigned weights according to their relative importance to groundwater occurrence using analytic hierarchy process and then integrated based on weighted sum analysis to generate GWPZ map. Rainfall infiltration breakthrough (RIB) and area under curve (AUC) are used to validate the GWPZ map. GWPZ map shows that lower catchment has very high groundwater potential covering about 409 km2 . Nonetheless, about 50% of LRC spatially falls within high groundwater potential zone. Groundwater recharge, based on RIB for three boreholes, that is, A9N0007, A9N0008, and A9N0018 around Levubu Valley is estimated at 8.3, 15.4, and 16.2%, respectively. Boreholes A9N0018 and A9N0018 correspond to moderate to high groundwater potential zone, whereas A9N007 coincides with low to moderate zone. Considering the groundwater recharge estimates and associated potential zones, RIB results correspond well with GWPZ map. Also, an AUC, based on 26 boreholes, of 70.9% is achieved; thus, indicating a reliable model.

Mapping of Groundwater Potential Zone Using GIS and Remote Sensing of Shwan Sub-Basin, Kirkuk, NE Iraq

The groundwater is an intrinsic and vital capital for providing water supplies in rural and urban areas. Climate change poses a strong threat to the world; especially in Iraq is considering one of the arid and semi-arid regions. The climatic changes lead to an increase in the demand for groundwater, especially with low rainfall and an increase in the population. It is very important to model groundwater potential for the sub-basin. This paper aims to produce a map defining the potential groundwater zones of the Shwan sub-basin. By Geographic Information System and remote sensing data, the required data or six factors (geology, elevations, slope, drainage density, soil, and land uses/land covers) are available to be collected through weighted overlay for creating groundwater potential map. The result was five zones for groundwater potential from very low towards the eastern parts and also end of the western boundary to very high towards the western parts of the sub-basin. The geological formations of the sub-basin such as conglomerate, low elevations, low slope and low drainage density consider as high groundwater potential zones.

Developing a new method for future groundwater potentiality mapping under climate change in Bisha watershed, Saudi Arabia

This study proposes a new groundwater potentiality model (GPM) in the Bisha watershed, Saudi Arabia, by integrating logistic-regression (LR)-weighted and fuzzy logic-based ensemble machine learning (EML) models for the present and future scenarios. We applied random forest, bagging, and random subspace models for predicting the GPMs. We also used the general circulation model’s (GCM) minimum and maximum representative concentration pathway (RCP) 2.6 and 8.5 scenarios for the future GWP mapping. Results showed that the bagging hybrid model (Area under Curve: 0.986) outperformed other models. GWP models predicted 4058.57 km2 as very high, 4267.45 km2 as high, 4185.23 km2 as moderate, 4342. km2 as low, and 4430.24 km2 as very low groundwater potential zones. The best model combined with the future climatic conditions shows very high and high groundwater potential zones would cover 2319–2590 km2 and 3100–2795 km2. The current research will aid in the development of long-term sustainable groundwater management plans by increasing the effectiveness of GPMs.

Sustainable Groundwater Potential Zoning with Integrating GIS, Remote Sensing, and AHP Model: A Case from North-Central Bangladesh

Groundwater is one of the most valuable natural resources, and the most dependable source of fresh water. For sustainable groundwater management, the present study aimed to model groundwater potential zones in the north–central region of Bangladesh using GIS, remote sensing, and the analytical hierarchy process. The present study included eight thematic layers: lineament density, geomorphology, soil types, slope, land use/land cover, drainage density, elevation, and rainfall features to delineate a groundwater potential zone of the area. Integration of the eight thematic layers was performed through weighted overlay analysis, which assisted in delineating groundwater potential zones. This simple and systematic method successfully provides a satisfactory result concerning the delineation of groundwater potential zones. The study resulted in a groundwater potential zone map, which identifies about 11.51% of the study area as being under a very high groundwater potential zone, covering an area of 504.09 km2. The AHP analysis shows that the physiographical parameters, such as lineament density, slope, and drainage density, and meteorological factors such as annual rainfall, have greater influence over groundwater potentiality. The result obtained from the weighted overlay analysis was verified with actual well yield and groundwater depth data, which show a significant positive correlation. The outcome of the study will help in taking effective measures to ensure sustainable use and extraction of groundwater in this region.

Multi-criteria decision making and Dempster-Shafer model-based delineation of groundwater prospect zones from a semi-arid environment.

The present study illustrates the delineation of the groundwater potential zones in one of the most critical and drought-affected areas under Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh (India). Hydrological evaluations were carried out using GIS tools and remote sensing data which ultimately yielded several thematic maps, such as lineament density, land use/land cover, drainage density, lithology, slope, geomorphology, topographic wetness index (TWI), DEM, and soil. Thematic layers were assigned relative weightages as per their groundwater potential prospects under multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method through analytical hierarchy process (AHP). To recognize the groundwater potential zone, weighted overlay analysis was also performed. Additionally, for testing of the Dempster-Shafer model, 16 wells in the study area have been selected. Based on the probability of the groundwater occurrence, the belief factor was equated to delineate groundwater potential zones which illustrate five different potential zones. According to the AHP model, the northwest side of the study area is characterized with very high potential zones whereas the northeast and southeast regions constitute medium and low groundwater potential zones respectively. According to the DS model, very high groundwater potential zones constitute 17% and the remaining area falls under low potential. Overall accuracy of the DS model is higher than AHP model.

Delineation of Groundwater Potential Zones (GWPZ) of Port Blair, Andaman Islands, India, using Multi Influencing Factors (MIF) method and geospatial techniques

This study intended to delineate the groundwater potential zones (GWPZ) of Port Blair and its surrounding areas using the Multi Influencing Factor (MIF) method and geospatial techniques. Multiple data such as geology, geomorphology, slope, soil, drainage density, lineament density, rainfall, NDVI, and LULC were considered for delineating GWPZ. Spatially distributed maps/thematic layers of all the factors mentioned above were prepared using remotely sensed data and by using ground data. These thematic layers were allotted weights after referring to previous literature and study and by considering each layer's influence on groundwater. Finally, all the thematic layers were integrated, and overlay analysis was done to produce a map showing the GWPZ of Port Blair and its surrounding areas. The result (map) was categorized into high, medium, and low groundwater potential zones. This study shows that most of Port Blair's areas come under the medium GWPZ (63.4% of the study area), followed by high GWPZ (27% of the study area), and 10.6% of the area comes under low GWPZ. The most important and innovative part of this study is the physical verification of all the results obtained from the remote sensing and GIS techniques. The GWPZ map was compared with existing well discharge data and validated through the ROC curve, and it shows the study has “very good” accuracy. Finally, this study provides an expedient approach to delineate the GWPZ for practicable management and use of groundwater resources of the area to maintain the sustainability of this island.

A HYBRID GIS AND KNOWLEDGE-DRIVEN APPROACH FOR WATER RESOURCES POTENTIAL ZONATION

Assessing the potential zone of groundwater is extremely important in areas that are prone to climate-related hazards and have limited access to potable water supply such as Kuala Krai, Kelantan, Malaysia. The application of GIS and remote sensing allows for faster, cheaper, and more efficient groundwater management and exploration. In this work GIS and Knowledge-Driven approach are combined in an attempt to identify groundwater potential zones in Kuala Krai. The various thematic maps prepared for delineating groundwater potential zones are lineament, lithology, soil, land use, rainfall, slope, drainage density, and elevation. The knowledge-driven technique is used to assign weights for each factor and Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) approach is used to investigate several choice possibilities and evaluate suitability according to the associated weight of each factor. The results revealed that 31.64% and 15.10% of the area in Kuala Krai were categorized as high and very high groundwater potential zones which are mostly located in the central, western, and southern parts of Kuala Krai where interbedded sandstone, siltstone, and shale were the major geological unit. Furthermore, rainfall was also highly influential in determining groundwater potentiality. In terms of land use, forest, rubber, and oil palm were found to be suitable for high potential zones of groundwater. Moreover, the area located nearby the Kelantan River also exhibited high groundwater potentiality. The map can be used to develop and further expand groundwater utilization in Malaysia.

Groundwater potential zones identification in Arba Minch town, Rift Valley, Ethiopia, using geospatial and AHP tools

Groundwater is a vital natural resource that supports human needs, promotes industrial development, needs farming activities, and helps to maintain ecological balance. Geospatial technologies play an essential role in monitoring, assessing, and conserving groundwater resources. The present study was carried out at Arba Minch town, Rift Valley, southern Ethiopia. A total of eight important groundwater controlling parameters, such as lithology, geomorphology, lineament density, land-use/land cover, slope, precipitation, drainage density, and soil type, were considered to identify suitable groundwater potential zones. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique was used to derive the standard weights for each parameter and its sub-parameters, emphasizing the relative importance of contributing parameters and sub-parameters for groundwater recharge. The present study’s potential groundwater zonation map was divided into three categories: poor, medium, and high. The output has shown about 36%, 24%, and 40% area falls under high, medium, and poor groundwater potential zones. Furthermore, the findings were validated using groundwater level data, which showed a strong correlation. The current study results showed the effect of geospatial techniques and the AHP method in groundwater potential mapping.

Geospatial mapping of groundwater potential zones using multi-criteria decision-making AHP approach in a hardrock basaltic terrain in India

Among all other natural resources, groundwater is one of the most essential for environmental, biological, and socioeconomic activities. Several factors such as geology, distance from the river, geomorphology, slope, land-use, drainage density, lineament density, soil, and rainfall influence groundwater recharge and its availability. In this study, an integrated approach of Geographical Information System (GIS) based Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and remote sensing were used for geospatial mapping of groundwater. For the determination of influencing factors, an extensive literature review was considered to form a pairwise comparison matrix (PCM) and calculate the weight of each factor. The scores of the sub-parameters were also assigned based on published literature, and after that, the weighted overlay analysis (WOA) tool in ArcGIS10.1 was used to produce the final groundwater potential map. About 14% (684 km2) of the study area is recognized as ‘high groundwater potential zone’, 34% (1591 km2) in ‘moderate groundwater potential zone’, 27% (1291 km2) in ‘low groundwater potential zone’ and the remaining 24% (1141 km2) in ‘poor groundwater potential zone’. In the accuracy assessment, the groundwater potential zones i.e. high, moderate, and poor in suitability map is precisely estimated contrasting to the zone ‘low’ in the producer’s point of view, but high and poor groundwater zones detected more precisely compared to others in user’s point of view. The methodology, techniques, and results of the current investigation may be useful to evaluate the groundwater potential zone in similar drought-prone regions around the world.

Delineation of Groundwater Potential Using GIS, Hydrogeological, Geophysical and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Technique in Olorunda-Abaa, Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria

Integration Geographic Information System (GIS), hydrogeological, geoelectrical method involving Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) technique, coupled with the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) data mining technique were utilized with the aim to delineate the groundwater potential zones of Olorunda-Abaa area, Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. Fifty-three (53) Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) measurements using Schlumberger electrode array, depth to Water Level (DWL) estimation and determination of depth to the bottom of Hand dug wells were carried out across the study area. Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique was applied to the factors controlling groundwater accumulation in the area. Weights were assigned and subsequently integrated in the ArcGIS environment using Arc Map 10.1 to develop the groundwater potential map of the investigated area. The geoelectric sections developed delineated four subsurface geological units consisting of the topsoil, weathered layer, partly weathered/fractured basement and the fresh bedrock. The VES gave depths to basement bedrock which generally range from 5.6 - 59.4 m. The groundwater conceptual model developed delineated five groundwater potential zones classified as low, medium, high and very high and validated with the thickness of water column obtained from wells over the entire study area. The groundwater potential map generated for the study area show that the medium to very high groundwater potential zones indicates the favourable area where groundwater development is feasible in the study area. This study concludes that the characterization of the groundwater potential zones in the study area can be adopted for future allocation of social amenities, planning, location, development and management of groundwater resources. Keywords: Hydrogeology, Geophysical, Multi-criteria Decision Analysis, Groundwater Potential, Basement Complex, Ibadan. DOI: 10.7176/JEES/11-5-08 Publication date: May 31 st 2021

Modeling Groundwater Potential Zones across Sulaimani Governorate Using Geographic Information System and Multi-influencing Factor Techniques

Groundwater is one of the most important natural resources in the world. The presence of groundwater is the result of interaction of several factors such as: hydrology, geology, climate, ecology, and physiography. The purpose of this paper is to produce groundwater potential zones which are useful in determining the amount of groundwater available in Sulaimani Governorate, North of Iraq. Geographic information system database for six different thematic layers (digital elevation model, rainfall, soil texture, drainage density, slope and land use/land cover) were generated. The study approach involved integration of six layers carried out based on the multiplication of each data raster values with specific weight using weighted overlay analysis method. Raster maps of all the layers assigned a fixed score and weight using multi-influencing factor technique. Based on the resulted map the study area has been divided into four zones that had very high potential zone (1%), high potential zone (14%), moderate zone potential (79%) and low potential zone (6%). About 50% of the high groundwater potential zone were located in Halabja, Rania, and Pshdar districts. Obtained results can be useful in localizing areas of exploration, preventing excessive exploitation of groundwater and planning for suitable sites of artificial groundwater.

Investigation of groundwater potential of the eastern part of Usmanu Danfodiyo University permanent site, Sokoto, using vertical electrical sounding technique.

Geoelectric survey was carried out in the eastern part of Usmanu Danfodiyo University main campus with the aim of determining areas that are suitable for drilling boreholes. Thirty Vertical Electric Soundings were made at different parts of the area using the Schlumberger electrode spread arrangement with maximum half-electrode spacing of 100 m. Qualitative interpretation of the curves suggested thirteen different curve types highlighting that the area is underlain by three to six layers; the top soil predominantly lateritic in composition and occasionally wet, the fresh laterite, shale and limestone layer , the shale, limestone and sandstone layer, clayey sand, coarse sand, shale, limestone and sandstone layer and the fine sandstone and limestone layer. Using the measured current and voltage, apparent resistivity, thickness, depth, hydraulic conductance, transmissivity and protective capacity maps of the aquifers in the area were generated. Based on comparison of groundwater potential zones on these maps, an integrated groundwater potential map of the area was inferred and used to classify the area into low, moderate and high groundwater potential zones. Three zones in the south-central, east-central and extreme northeastern parts were inferred to be suitable for drilling boreholes in the study area.

Groundwater potential as an indicator of water poverty index in drought-prone mid-hill region of Nepal Himalaya

Springs are the primary sources of drinking water for the people living in the mountainous region of Nepal Himalaya, but emerging drought condition exacerbated by climate change has dried up springs thus sparking water crisis in the region. The present study attempts to correlate the groundwater potential (GWP) zones and water poverty index (WPI) in the mid-hill region of Nepal Himalaya. The study was conducted in four drought-prone Village Development Committees (VDCs), namely Bhatauli, Chisapani, Kathjor and Manthali lying at the lower reaches of Tamakoshi Sub-basin in Ramechhap district of Province number 3, Nepal. The in-situ test of spring water revealed that pH, EC, TDS and DO values lie within the concentration limits of Nepal Drinking Water Quality Standards and suitable for drinking or other uses. Groundwater potential zoning was carried out using the eight thematic layers, namely elevation, slope, land use, drainage density, geomorphology, lineament density, rock and soil distribution and precipitation. High groundwater potential has been delineated along the Tamakoshi River while low potential areas lie in the western part of the study area. The model is verified with the field observation as the most springs concentrated in the high and medium groundwater potential zones. The study area has WPI values lower than the national WPI score, suggesting the low availability of water in the area. GWP correlates directly with WPI in the study area suggesting that GWP mapping alone can represent the water availability in the mid-hill region of Nepal Himalaya.

Assessment of groundwater potentiality using geospatial techniques in Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal

The word water is life, so life on this planet cannot be possible without water. Water is an essential natural resource that is a surface and groundwater device for human society. The purpose of this research is to assess the groundwater potentiality of the Purba Bardhaman district. All data (primary and secondary) are collected from different sources and analyzed in geographic information system (GIS) software to prepare thematic maps. Different geo-environmental factors like as land use and land cover, soil, lithology, rainfall and distance from the river, etc., can impact on groundwater availability directly or indirectly in Purba Bardhaman area. To identify groundwater potential zones, all these factors are composed into GIS software using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method. The groundwater potential map has been divided into five classes based on their magnitude as very high, high, medium, low and very low groundwater potential zones. It shows that the areas of very low, low, medium, high and very high groundwater potential zones are 21.54%, 35.80%, 26.47%, 10.13%, 6.06%, respectively, of the total area. Finally, validation is carried out using groundwater depth data collected from 44 drilled tube wells which are located in a scattered manner for whole Purba Bardhaman district which indicates a higher similarity with an area under curve value of 86.8%.